Tinder Seeks to Protect LGBTQ+ Travelers

Tinder has launched a new feature designed to help LGBTQ+ users
stay safe when traveling abroad. Called Traveler Alert, the feature
hides LGBTQ+ users’ profiles when they travel to a country where
same-sex relationships are illegal.

Countries Where It’s Criminal to Be LGBTQ+

In the vast majority of countries, the LGBTQ+ community is
treated with respect. While there’s always more work to be done,
in these countries, same-sex relationships are legal, and the
people in them are afforded the same rights as heterosexual
couples.

However, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) there are 70 countries around
the world where being anything other than heterosexual is
considered a crime. And punishments include the death penalty.

Tinder’s Traveler Alert Warns LGBTQ+ Users

This is a problem for dating apps such as Tinder, which has
users from the LGBTQ+ community. While they may be safe in their
own country, if they travel abroad, they could find themselves
considered a criminal for their sexual orientation or gender
identity.

As outlined on
the Tinder Blog, Tinder’s solution to this is a Traveler
Alert. This will automatically hide users’ profiles when they
land in a country which has laws criminalizing the LGBTQ+
community. Users can then choose whether they want to remain
hidden.

Do any of you gays actually like staying at
home? Because the amount of you that state in your tinder profile
“like to travel” makes me sick ? NO I don’t want to travel, I
like comfort and stability, call me boring if you want!

Even if a user decides to make their profile public in that
country, their sexual orientation and/or gender identity will
remain hidden. This is to ensure local law enforcement cannot use
Tinder to target that user, which is known to have happened
previously.

Tinder cannot guarantee anyone’s safety when traveling, but
it’s clearly doing what it can to keep people safe. Opting to not
open Tinder at all while traveling abroad is an even safer bet, but
if you do open Tinder that’s when you’ll see the new Traveler
Alert.